Step cam disc cylinder lock

ABSTRACT

A step cam type of disc lock comprising a series of key-movable step cam discs each having a plurality of step cam surfaces internally thereof, in combination with a like series of setting discs which are actuated by a series of key-activated cam contact pins. The setting discs have notches on the peripheries thereof and when these notches are aligned as by means of a proper key, they provide a common receptacle for a pivoted finger selector bar which then makes a locking engagement with respect to a transmission device which may be connected to the actual locking bolt.

United States Patent Genakis- 51 Sept. 26, 1972 STEP CAM DISC CYLINDER LOCK 3,548,620 12/1970 Genakis ..70/364 A [72] Inventor: Joseph M. Genakis, 948 W. Boyl- Ston St" Worcester Mass 01605 Primary Examiner-Robert L. Wolfe Attorney-Charles R. Fay [22] Filed: Aug. 25, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 66,725 [57] ABSTRACT A step cam type of disc lock comprising a series of I [52] US. Cl ..70/364 A, 70/356, 70/378, key-movable step cam discs each having a plurality of 70/419 step cam surfaces internally thereof, in combination lllt- E05b /00, E05b 63/00 with a like series of setting discs which are actuated by [58] Field Of Search ..70/356, 357-358, a series of key-activated cam ontact pin Thg Setting 70/364-366' 419-421 discs have notches on the peripheries thereof and when these notches are aligned as by means of a [56] References C'ted proper key, they provide a common receptacle for a UNITED STATES PATENTS pivoted finger selector bar which then makes a locking engagement with respect to a transmission device 71 1,3 Bayer A may be connected to the actual locking 2,015,735 10/1935 Thomalla ..70/366 X 2,682,764 7/1954 Kotab ..70/4l9 5 Claims, 11 Drawing Figures PATENTEDSEP26 I972 SHEET 1 BF 2 INVENTOR. 3'0 SEPH M. 'CaEnAyqs BYMF%%T PATENTEDSEPZS m2 sum 2 or z INVENTOR. 3055p H M. GENAUS FWG l0 STEP CAM DISC CYLINDER LOCK BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This case presents a variation and an improvement over the invention disclosed in my copending patent application Ser. No. 789,316, filed Jan. 6, 1969, now US. Pat. No. 3,548,620 issued Dec. 22, 1970 and the main purpose of the present invention is to simplify the construction of the lock described in said patent application and also to render the same easier to manufacture in smaller sizes, i.e., insofar as the diameter of the cylinder itself is concerned.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In the present invention the lock parts are housed within a cylinder which can be utilized as described in my copending application, or in other ways. The cylinder contains a rotary plug having a slot for accepting the key and in the plug there are a series of independently movable key activated cam contact pins (and also key locking pin) actuated by the wards of the key, the cam contact pins engaging step cams on a series of step cam discs for selective engagement, depending upon the wards of the key, and upon turning, align the setting discs which then accept the fingers on a pivoted finger selector rod. When this happens, a connection is made with the transmission device also as previously explained in the aforesaid patent application, to actuate the lock.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing the parts of the lock disassembled, but showing but one typical step cam disc unit for clarity;

FIG. 2 is a view in elevation illustrating one of the step cam discs;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the cylinder;

FIG. 4 is a view in section which illustrates the locking dog on the transmission device in locking position;

FIG. 5 is an exploded view illustrating the pressured retarder pins;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the finger selector bar;

FIG. 7 is a section through the lock showing it in assembled condition and illustrating a plurality of step cam units;

FIG. 8 is a section through the cylinder illustrating the position of the pressured retarder pin;

FIG. 9 is a section through the plug illustrating the respective arrangement of the plug relative to the key actuated cam contact pin;

FIG. 10 is a partial sectional view showing the selector rod in aligned position relative to the discs, and

FIG. 11 is a similar view showing the action of the locking abutment of the selector rod in contact with the dog.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION A cylinder 10 is provided and this houses the parts of the lock. This cylinder is generally hollow and is provided with a front plate 12, see FIG. 3, to accept and carry a plug 14, this plug being rotated by means of a key (not shown) and having an end-to-end key slot 16 for this purpose.

The cylinder 10 is provided with a series of interior receptacles which are indicated at 18 for the reception of the retarder pins 20 backed up by springs 22 together with a retaining pin 24. The retarder pins extend slightly inwardly of the cylinder, see particularly FIG. 8, and they bear on the exterior surface of the series of step cams generally indicated at 26.

The step cam construction is clearly shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and it will be seen that each cam is a disc with a generally circular outer surface interrupted by the chordal slot 28, forming a peripheral shoulder. The retarder pins 20 bear at their inner ends on the exterior surface of the respective step cam discs 26 and the shoulder formed by slot 28 provides for a detent pin stop for the retarder pins when aligned therewith. The shoulder formed by slot 28 when in contact with retarder pin 20, aligns the respective step cam disc at its key receiving position.

The interior of each step cam disc is provided with a series of step cams indicated at 30, these being arranged on a gradually increasing or decreasing radius, see FIG. 2. These cam steps receive the activated cam contact pins 32 best shown in FIG. 9. Each cam pin is provided with a cross pin 34 and a pair of springs 36, 36 holding the same down, but allowing the same to be moved radially outwardly relative to the plug 14 under influence of the key in the key slot 16. The springs 36 are held in position by retaining rods 37, 37. The wards of the key of course will be in different combinations of heights extending the pins 32 outwardly to different extents so as to engage with different steps 30 on the interior of the step cam discs 26.

The step cam discs 26 are each connected with respect to a numbered setting disc 38 so that as the step cam .discs turn to the various degrees determined by the wards of the keys, so also move the setting discs 38. The setting discs 38 are provided with a series of axially extending circumferentially spaced notches 40 which are in different depths. The deepest notches provide for access thereto of fingers 42 of the finger selector rod 44. The proper key will rotate the setting discs into alignment of proper slots so that the finger selector rod 44, which is located in the finger selector guide aperture or groove in cylinder 10, can be turned to a position aligning its locking abutment 48 with respect to the pivoted dog 50 on the transmission member 52, driven in its primary rotation by the dog 60 of the drive member 58 in contact with pin 61, causing the same to move so that one end thereof as at 54, see FIG. 4, is

connected with respect to the transmission latch contact slot 56 in the plug 14. The contact is therefore made with respect to the transmission 52, and upon reverse turning the plug under influence of the key the transmission also turns. The transmission 52 has a finger 63 that activates a bolt or other device not shown but well understood in the art.

The finger selector rod 44 is located in aperture 70, acting right or left-hand, and drive member 58 can act in either direction correspondingly.

The element shown at 62 is a back plate to complete the assembly, and grooves 64 in plug 14 accommodate snap rings as at 66 which separate the discs and prevent binding thereof.

A canceling device 68 sets in either of two apertures 46 in the cylinder 10. This includes a spring 72 and stop pin 74 and it returns dog 50 to a neutral position upon recycling of the lock.

The hole at 76 in cylinder is for the reception of a setscrew, e.g., to hold back plate 62 assembled. The discs 38 may each be provided with a slot 78 for assembly purposes, and these discs are numbered for ease in pre-setting them as desired. Thus, each hole 80 in each disc can be selected for reception of a lateral pin 82 on each step cam 26, and this arrangement can be reset as desired.

The dog 50, 54 acts as described in my above identified patent application, but detent 65 retains dog 50 in either of two positions, see FIG. 4. The rods 37 holding springs 36 also hold like springs 84 acting relative to cross pins 86 on locking pins 88. These retain the key until predetermined position is reached and tend to assure correct positioning of the parts.

The operation of this lock can be either left or righthand, by reversing certain assembled parts, but the finger selector rod 44, FIG. 6, must be changed when converting to the opposite rotation.

The first turn of the key acts to lock transmission 52 to plug 14. On the reverse turn, transmission finger 63 actuates some locking device or the like, similarly to the action of the lock in my above identified application.

lclaim:

l. A stem cam type of disc lock comprising a housing, a movable selector and an oscillatable key plug mounted in said housing, a series of generally circular cam discs on the plug, each having a central opening for reception of said plug, a series of step cams on each cam disc arranged internally thereof, each cam being positioned a different distance from the axis of the Plug,

a setting disc having peripheral notches for each cam disc, said setting discs being mounted on the plug, means for angularly adjusting each setting disc with respect to its cam disc, a series of movable cam contact pins on the plug for selective engagement with individual cam surfaces on the cam discs, the key being arranged to engage and move the cam contact pins into engagement with the respective cam surfaces for turning the setting discs for alignment of certain notches on the peripheries of the setting discs for reception of said selector,

and a transmission, said transmission being mounted to turn relative to said plug and means providing for interengagement between the transmission and the plug when the notches on the setting disc are correctly aligned so that the transmission may then be turned by means of the plug under influence of the key.

2. The step cam disc lock of claim 1 including indicia for each of the several notches on the peripheries of the various setting discs for identification thereof for adjusting the same relative to its respective cam disc.

3. The step cam disc lock of claim 1 wherein the notches on the periphery of each setting disc are of different depth, each of the setting discs being angularly adjustable relative to its respective cam disc so that .various depth notches on the setting discs can be generally aligned in cooperative relationship with respect to cams of varying radial depth on the respective cam disc.

4. The step cam disc lock of claim 1 including a key locking pin.

5. A step cam type of disc lock comprising a housing, a selector, said selector having a finger, said selector being mounted in said housing adjacent the periphery thereof and extending longitudinally with respect thereto, a key receiving plug in said housing, a plurality of step cam discs each having a plurality of step cam surfaces internally thereof, each step cam surface of each disc being arranged at a different distance from the axis of the plug, the step cam discs being rotatively arranged with respect to said plug,

a like series of setting discs, interengaging means securing each setting disc to a respective step cam disc in a rotatively adjustably position with respect thereto, a series of notches in the peripheries of said setting discs, said notches being of varying depths and being mutually spaced,

a series of key activated cam contact pins radially arranged on said plug and being in a position to be actuated by the wards of the key inserted in said plug and thrust into engagement with the selected step cam surface on the respective step cam discs upon actuation by the key, for the longitudinal alignment of notches of equal depth on said setting discs,

a transmission, said transmission being activated only upon said alignment of the setting discs, and means on the transmission adapted to move a locking member for both locking and unlocking motions with respect thereto. 

1. A stem cam type of disc lock comprising a housing, a movable selector and an oscillatable key plug mounted in said housing, a series of generally circular cam discs on the plug, each having a central opening for reception of said plug, a series of step cams on each cam disc arranged internally thereof, each cam being positioned a different distance from the axis of the plug, a setting disc having peripheral notches for each cam disc, said setting discs being mounted on the plug, means for angularly adjusting each setting disc with respect to its cam disc, a series of movable cam contact pins on the plug for selective engagement with individual cam surfaces on the cam discs, the key being arranged to engage and move the cam contact pins into engagement with the respective cam surfaces for turning the setting discs for alignment of certain notches on the peripheries of the setting discs for reception of said selector, and a transmission, said transmission being mounted to turn relative to said plug and means providing for interengagement between the transmission and the plug when the notches on the setting disc are correctly aligned so that the transmission may then be turned by means of the plug under influence of the key.
 2. The step cam disc lock of claim 1 including indicia for each of the several notches on the peripheries of the various setting discs for identification thereof for adjusting the same relative to its respective cam disc.
 3. The step cam disc lock of claim 1 wherein the notches on the periphery of each setting disc are of different depth, each of the setting discs being angularly adjustable relative to its respective cam disc so that various depth notches on the setting discs can be generally aligned in cooperative relationship with respect to cams of varying radial depth on the respective cam disc.
 4. The step cam disc lock of claim 1 including a key locking pin.
 5. A step cam type of disc lock comprising a housing, a selector, said selector having a finger, said selector being mounted in said housing adjacent the periphery thereof and extending longitudinally with respect thereto, a key receiving plug in said housing, a plurality of step cam discs each having a plurality of step cam surfaces internally thereof, each step cam surface of each disc being arranged at a different distance from the axis of the plug, the step cam discs being rotatively arranged with respect to said plug, a like series of setting discs, interengaging means securing each setting disc to a respective step cam disc in a rotatively adjustably position with respect thereto, a series of notches in the peripheries of said setting discs, said notches being of varying depths and being mutually spaced, a series of key activated cam contact pins radially arranged on said plug and being in a position to be actuated by the wards of the key inserted in said plug and thrust into engagement with the selected step cam surface on the respective step cam discs upon actuation by the key, for the longitudinal alignment of notches of equal depth on said setting discs, a transmission, said transmission being activated only upon said alignment of the setting discs, and means on the transmission adapted to move a locking member for both locking and unlocking motions with respect thereto. 